Cancer is often thought of as something that’s left entirely up to chance. While it’s true that no one can control their health entirely and it would be wrong to blame someone for a health condition they are experiencing, there are ways to reduce your risk of getting cancer.
According to the World Health Organization, between 30% and 50% of cancer cases are preventable by adopting healthy diet and lifestyle habits. There’s one habit in particular that a top doctor recommends adopting if it’s not something you do already, because its effects are so powerful.
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The #1 Way To Lower Your Cancer Risk Naturally
When patients ask Dr. Audrey Calderwood, MD, for the best way to lower their risk of cancer, she answers with one word: Exercise. “I strongly believe that regular exercise promotes good health and lowers people’s overall risk for cancer. Exercise helps the heart, lungs, bones and muscles stay strong, regulates blood sugar levels and maintains a normal body weight—all of which help reduce the risk of cancers. In addition, exercise improves overall longevity and function, which is increasingly important as people age,” she says.
Scientific research backs up the powerful effect regular exercise can have. One study found that regular exercise reduces the risk of breast, colon, endometrium, bladder, stomach, esophagus, kidney and lung cancer. Another study found that regular exercise, including walking, reduces the risk of 26 different types of cancer.
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What type of exercise is best and how often should you do it? The U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends doing between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, between 75 and 100 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity or an equivalent combination of both each week. Additionally, the guidelines recommend doing two days of strength training and balance training exercises a week.
If those recommendations are a big jump from your current exercise habits, Dr. Calderwood recommends setting small, achievable goals that are specific and attainable, and gradually changing them until you reach your exercise goals.
“For example, if my goal is to run three miles at least three times per week on average, I am going to set my initial goal to be going for a 10-minute walk after dinner at 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am going to schedule this time in my digital calendar and put my running shoes and socks by the front door that morning as a reminder,” she said. “I might bring my dog or invite a friend to some of these walks or create a new playlist with my favorite songs for the walk. Once I do this three times in a row, I might celebrate by doing something for myself, like going to the movies and after a month of success, getting my nails done.”
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Other Ways To Reduce Your Cancer Risk
There are other ways you can reduce your risk of getting cancer in addition to exercising regularly. If you smoke, vape or chew tobacco, Dr. Calderwood says quitting can be an especially effective way to reduce your risk. Smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and 80% of lung cancer deaths.
Dr. Calderwood also recommends limiting alcohol to special occasions or one to two drinks once or twice a week. While in the past it was believed that moderate alcohol intake benefitted health, the latest scientific research shows that no alcohol amount is beneficial for health. The good news is that there are more alcohol replacements than ever that actually taste good. Boisson is one place to find alcohol-free beer, wines and spirits.
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“Other suggestions [for ways to lower cancer risk] include eating a diet rich in fiber and whole grains and limiting red meat consumption to two times per week. Limiting consumption of chargrilled, smoked and preserved meats, which are full of nitrates, is also associated with cancer risk reduction,” Dr. Calderwood says.
Even if you have a family history of cancer, Dr. Calderwood emphasizes that you are not destined to get cancer too—you are just at a higher risk. “Environment plays a large role in the manifestation of genetic predisposition to cancer, and diet and lifestyle and health habits really do matter,” she says.
By putting all of these tips into practice, you’ll be taking your health back into your hands as much as you can—and that’s something that you should be proud of.
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Sources
- Dr. Audrey Calderwood, MD, MS, director of the Comprehensive Gastroenterology Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
- Preventing cancer. World Health Organization
- Physical Activity in Cancer Prevention and Survival: A Systematic Review. Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise. 2019
- Leisure-time physical activity and risk of 26 types of cancer in 1.44 million adults. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2018
- Physical Activity and Cancer. National Cancer Institute
- Tobacco Use and Cancer. National Library of Medicine
- No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health. World Health Organization
